5 Healthy Spices That Deserve More Attention

Spice up your life with these plants, roots, and herbs which benefit your health as much as they do your taste.

From keeping your arteries clear and your heart healthy to warding off cancer and reducing pain, these everyday flavors will add a healthy punch to all your meals.

1. Cardamom

Cardamom has been known as a stomach soother. The study has shown that it counters acidity and helps to digest fatty foods. Cardamom has antiseptic properties because it contains phytochemical cineole. Cardamom gives the characteristic flavor of chai tea since it also has a delicious, distinctive aromatic profile.

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Add cardamom to hot milk, hot chocolate, coffee, and tea in order to counter bad breath and heal a sore throat. In addition, you can add whole pods to the cooking liquid for rice in order to accompany Middle Eastern or Indian food. Also, you can add powdered cardamom to cookies, muffins and coffee cake when you are baking.

2. Cinnamon

Cinnamon contains calcium, manganese, and iron and is full of antioxidants and health benefits. It’s nutritional powerhouse. According to studies, cinnamon can help control blood pressure and blood glucose in people who suffer from type 2 diabetes.

Add a little of cinnamon in your next smoothie or enjoy it on oatmeal. Mix it into muffin recipes, or sprinkle it on cereal or toast. Also, try to sprinkle cinnamon on vegetables such as sweet potatoes.

3. Fennel

A good source of vitamin C are sweet fennel bulbs. It is recommended to consume the regularly in order to support a healthy immune system. A great choice for stews, soups, and salads is fresh fennel.

The part of the plant you probably have in your spice cupboard, dried fennel seeds, are traditionally used in fish dishes, especially those which are made with oily fish since the seeds aid digestion of fats and enhance the flavor. Fennel’s leaves are also very tasty. Sprinkle fresh chopped leaves on tofu, steamed vegetables or yogurt.

4. Turmeric

Turmeric is the bright orange-yellow spice which has the antioxidant curcumin. According to a study, it has been suggested that curcumin can suppress the gene related to the development and progression of breast cancer by reducing drug resistance and improving the efficacy of chemotherapy medications.

Don’t be intimidated when it comes to adding turmeric to your diet. Usually, people don’t know what to do with turmeric, but you can add it to any vegetable side dish for a flavor. In addition, dried turmeric has a strong taste, and therefore, its best to cook it a bit before you consume it.

5. Cayenne Pepper

According to studies, cayenne pepper can aid weight loss, but it’s known for its pain-relieving properties. One study has shown that people who added half a teaspoon of cayenne pepper to their meals burned more calories.

It is recommended to use cayenne pepper in casseroles, dips, and sauces in order to add sweetness and heat. However, it is advised to restrain while you are adding cayenne to dishes. You should be careful not to add more than intended, because it is very hard to undo, even though sugar, cream or coconut milk can sometimes tone down the heat a little bit.